‘This well-researched, well-written and cogently argued new analysis . . .will undoubtedly now take its rightful place as the standard account of this vital theatre of the conflict’ Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

In the annals of military history, the Western Front stands as an enduring symbol of the folly and futility of war. However, as bestselling military historian Nick Lloyd reveals in this highly-praised history – the first of an epic trilogy — the story is not one of pointlessness and stupidity, but rather a heroic triumph against the odds. With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events, Lloyd tells the whole tale, revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants – including French, British, Belgian, US and, most importantly, German forces.

Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the unprecedented innovation, adaptation and tactical development that have been too long obscured by legends of mud, blood and futility, drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war, wrongly overlooked first-person accounts, and archival material from every angle. Conveying the visceral assault of the battlefield with vivid detail, Lloyd ultimately redefines our understanding of a crucial theatre in this monumental tragedy.

‘Excellent on detail…Lloyd’s book will be cherished by military history buffs’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times

‘It is the best modern single-volume history of war on the Western Front and is likely to remain the standard account for some time’ Jonathan Boff, The Spectator